Jogging Guide: Easy Pace, Intensity & Distance for Runners

Even among dedicated runners, jogging is something many do on autopilot — without much thought about how they’re doing it.

This article covers how to approach jogging — the most important, and most time-consuming, component of any runner’s training.

Some runners jog at a brisk pace; others do long slow distance runs at a very easy effort. Both count as jogging — the difference lies in your goal.

There’s no single “correct” jogging pace. The pace you choose should match the effect you’re after.

Jogging accounts for roughly 80% of a runner’s total training volume — and done consistently over time, it produces significant improvements in aerobic capacity. By the end of this article, you’ll understand the purpose and benefits of jogging at a fundamental level, and know how to set the right pace and distance.

Jogging: Running at Easy Pace

In this article, jogging is defined as running at easy pace.

Easy pace is defined as an intensity at which your fatigue level is lower the day after your run than it was before. For a deeper look at the role and purpose of easy-pace running, see the article below.

What Does “Jogging” Actually Mean?

The term used to describe jogging varies from runner to runner. Common expressions include “jog,” “easy run,” or “easy pace.”

The term “Easy pace” (or “E pace”) comes from Jack Daniels’ Running Formula. If you haven’t read the book, you may not have come across it.

Rather than the words themselves, what varies is how each runner interprets the intensity. In practice, all these terms refer to the same concept.

Some runners draw a distinction between “easy” and “jogging,” but on Running Scientist, they mean the same thing: jogging = easy pace.

Jack Daniels’ Running Formula is essential reading for any serious runner.

Benefits of Jogging (Easy Pace Runs)

Here’s a quick summary of what jogging does for your body:

None of these adaptations come from a single session. They accumulate through consistent, repeated training.

How Hard Should Jogging Feel? Pace and Heart Rate

Jogging pace varies widely between runners. Even elite marathoners who run a full marathon in around 2:10 often jog at roughly 8:03/mile (5:00/km).

At the other end, some runners jog at faster than 6:26/mile (4:00/km).

Perceived Effort

For easy-pace jogging, the most important factor is your perceived effort.

The standard is simple: you shouldn’t feel any strain during the run, and the next day you should feel less fatigued than before you started.

Relying too heavily on pace or heart rate can lead you to push too hard on days when your body is already tired — adding fatigue instead of recovery.

Through repeated jogging sessions, you’ll learn what level of perceived effort allows you to wake up the next day feeling fresher — or at least no more tired.

Setting Your Jogging Pace with VDOT

One practical way to determine your easy-pace target is the VDOT calculator.

VDOT is a measure based on VO2 max, and it lets you calculate your target training paces from a recent race result.

The pace you’re looking for is the Easy pace. The image below shows how to find it using the VDOT calculator.

The calculator outputs target paces for each training intensity. For a half marathon time of 1:14:40, the Easy pace range comes out to 6:49–7:31/mile (4:14–4:40/km).

Heart Rate Guidelines

According to Jack Daniels’ Running Formula, the heart rate range for Easy pace is 65–79% of max heart rate (HRmax). From my own experience, staying below around 74% HRmax is where recovery starts to take the lead.

That 65–79% HRmax range may seem broad. The reason for the wide band lies in a physiological concept called LT1, or the aerobic threshold — the highest intensity at which blood lactate stays near resting levels (around 2 mmol/L).

The Easy zone covers all intensities below LT1. Because LT1 shifts depending on a runner’s fitness level and daily condition, the range is wide. As your fitness improves, LT1 tends to move to a higher %HRmax.

Multiple studies on elite endurance athletes show that roughly 80% of all training is performed below 2 mmol/L blood lactate — the LT1 zone, equivalent to Easy intensity (Seiler 2010) ※1.

The same pattern holds for world-class runners: over 80% of a weekly mileage of 100–137 miles (160–220 km) is run below LT1 (Haugen et al. 2022) ※2. In heart rate terms, that low-intensity zone generally falls around 65–75% HRmax — toward the lower-to-middle end of Daniels’ Easy zone.

There’s a meaningful speed difference between 65% and 79% HRmax. Using heart rate as your guide also comes with some drawbacks:

I do have my max heart rate accurately measured and use a dedicated heart rate monitor.

Even so, I find myself occasionally pushing a little too hard on easy days because I’m watching the number. Heart rate is a useful reference, but I wouldn’t rely on it too heavily.

A Real Example: My Training Numbers

Here’s a concrete example from my own training. Based on my half marathon personal record of 1:14:40 (from 2020), the VDOT calculator puts my Easy pace range at 6:49–7:31/mile (4:14–4:40/km).

My actual jogging pace was 6:50–8:03/mile (4:15–5:00/km), running by feel.

I only jog at the top end of Easy pace — 6:49/mile — after a low-load structured workout the previous day, during race preparation, or when my legs feel genuinely fresh.

After a hard structured workout or a race, I drop to the lower end of Easy pace — or even slower.

My heart rate during jogging typically falls around 125–140 bpm, or roughly 65–75% of my HRmax.

I use heart rate as an objective reference while keeping perceived effort as the primary guide. My goal during jogging is to feel zero effort.

Fast vs. Slow Jogging: What’s the Difference?

You’ll often hear recreational runners say things like “there’s no point jogging that fast” or “long slow distance doesn’t work.”

In reality, every jogging pace produces a benefit — what differs is the magnitude and the purpose, not whether it works.

Faster jogging — roughly 74–79% HRmax — isn’t primarily about recovery. It’s a moderate run: a strengthening stimulus that targets aerobic capacity development.

Slower jogging, on the other hand, is for the day after a hard session or when you’re carrying lingering fatigue. The primary goal is recovery — maintaining your aerobic adaptations while letting your body heal.

Jogging faster reduces the recovery effect. When your body needs to recover, deliberately slowing down lets you maintain fitness while healing at the same time.

How Far and How Long Should You Jog?

Here’s how to think about jogging distance and duration.

Longer Runs Build Endurance

According to Daniels’ theory, jogging for more than 30 minutes at Easy pace is where the benefits really compound.

Longer jogging sessions — often called long runs — recruit not just slow twitch muscle fibers but also fast twitch muscle fibers, despite the relatively slow pace.

Normally, fast twitch muscle fibers are recruited at higher intensities. But as glycogen depletion progresses in slow twitch fibers, fast twitch fibers are called in to assist.

Because muscles only adapt when they’re used, long jogging sessions stimulate fast twitch fibers as well, triggering mitochondrial density growth and improving overall endurance.

Setting a Distance Cap to Prevent Injury

To prevent injury, Daniels’ theory recommends capping your single-run distance. The guideline is the shorter of: 25% of your weekly mileage, or 150 minutes.

If your weekly mileage is 62 miles (100 km), the recommended maximum for a single run is 15.5 miles (25 km).

That said, marathon-specific long runs of 18–22 miles (30–35 km) will inevitably exceed this guideline.

These extra-long sessions are manageable if you limit their frequency — once every three weeks, for example. Listen to how your body responds and keep the distance cap in mind.

Adding Variety to Your Jogging Routine

Now that you understand the difference between slow and fast jogging, the next step is to vary your jogging intentionally. Since jogging makes up roughly 80% of your training, this variation matters.

From my own experience: when I push past the upper limit of Easy pace during jogging, I feel the fatigue accumulate. Over time, this lowered the quality of my interval training and other structured workouts.

I’ve also run into injury from making individual sessions too long — the cumulative fatigue eventually became too much.

The key principle: every jog should have a purpose — even if that purpose is simply to recover.

Jogging Form: Cadence and Stride Length

There are many opinions on jogging form. Here’s what my data actually shows: when I jog, both my running cadence and running stride drop compared to faster paces.

During a pace run, I average around 180 spm and a 1.5 m stride. While jogging, that drops to 170–175 spm and a 1.20–1.25 m stride.

I don’t consciously target a specific cadence or stride during jogging. What I do focus on is keeping the same arm swing mechanics and ground contact feel as I use at faster paces.

My main focus is running comfortably. There’s no single correct jogging form.

Running with the same mechanics as your marathon or half marathon form is the ideal — but doing it exactly the same way will naturally push your pace too high.

If the jog is intended to serve as a supplementary workout rather than pure recovery, running at a higher pace within the Easy zone is perfectly fine.

This is backed by research. World-class runners complete over 80% of their 100–137 miles (160–220 km) per week at low intensity below LT1 — the Easy zone (Haugen et al. 2022) ※2. Most of their total volume is jogging.

Approach every jog you run — even the daily ones — with a clear purpose in mind.

References

※1 Seiler S (2010) “What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes?” Int J Sports Physiol Perform

※2 Haugen T, Sandbakk Ø, Seiler S et al. (2022) “The Training Characteristics of World-Class Distance Runners: An Integration of Scientific Literature and Results-Proven Practice” Sports Med Open